NFL Fantasy Football Start-Sit Week 8: Donovan McNabb In, Mark Sanchez Out

Ryan LesterOct 28, 2010

Here’s some sit and start advice as you set your lineups for Week 8 of the NFL season.

Quarterbacks

Start:
Donovan McNabb, Washington Redskins
McNabb has not exactly set the world on fire in D.C., but he does have the Redskins relevant again. He gets the nod this week because there are six teams on bye, and he’s facing Detroit. The Lions rank 20th with 224 passing yards, allowing 10 passing TDs.

Sit:
Mark Sanchez, New York Jets
He’s making good decisions, as evidenced by his 4.5-1 TD-INT ratio, but at just 183.3 passing yards per game, he’s not a great start. The Packers rank 14th in passing yards per game (214.1) and have allowed just eight passing TDs in seven games.

Running Backs

Start:
DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers
I know he has just 95 yards (122 total yards) in his past two games, but Carolina actually showed some life last week. He should get his mojo back against the Rams.

Update: It's looking like D-Will is going to be a game-time decision. If he does miss the game, Jonathan Stewart makes a great start. We saw last year what he can do when he doesn't have to share the load.

Felix Jones, Dallas Cowboys
Felix had just 12 touches in the Cowboys’ loss to the Giants on MNF, but they were playing from behind. That shouldn’t be the case against Jacksonville, who incidentally rank 25th with 129 rushing yards allowed per game and 31st with 10 rushing TDs allowed. The Cowboys will try to lighten the load for Kitna by leaning on Felix.

Sit:
Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers
Mathews has just one TD on the year and has not reached 80 total yards. This doesn’t look like his week to shine either, as he’s facing a Titans defense that has allowed just one rushing TD. They also rank 10th with 97.7 rushing yards allowed per game.

Wide Receivers

Start:
Deion Branch, New England Patriots
He regressed big time last week, but he was facing the league’s top pass defense (San Diego). This week he’s facing a Minnesota defense with question marks at DB. The last time the Pats played Minnesota, they ripped them with their precision passing. Brad Childress gave them bulletin board material with his comments. Don’t be surprised if the Pats throw 50 times against the Vikings.

Steve Johnson, Buffalo Bills
Johnson has scored a TD in four consecutive weeks. He’s facing Kansas City, who is tied for 25th with 255 passing yards allowed per game. Plus, Lee Evans will likely garner the attention of Brandon Flowers.

Sit:
Donald Driver, Green Bay Packers
Until he’s healthy (thigh) I don’t trust him. Especially when taking on the Jets.

Santonio Holmes, New York Jets
Holmes has yet to establish himself as a fantasy option with the Jets. He has just seven catches for 88 yards in two games. The Jets remain a run-first team, and Dustin Keller and Braylon Edwards are higher on the food chain.

Tight Ends

Start:
Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots
Hernandez has 26 catches in his past five games for 310 yards (62 per game). He has yet to score a TD, but he should be solid against the Vikings.

Sit:
Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans Saints
Shockey has just four catches for 51 yards in his past two games. With the Steelers coming to town, I wouldn’t expect a breakout game.

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Kicker

Start:
Kris Brown, San Diego Chargers
He is likely filling in for Nate Kaeding again this week. He’ll be doing it against Tennessee, who has allowed a league high 18 FGs.

Sit:
Garrett Hartley, New Orleans Saints
The Saints only managed to score 17 points on Cleveland. They face Pittsburgh this week, which is a much taller order. Plus, I’m not convinced Hartley’s kicking woes are behind him. He’s made just one FG of 40 plus yards.

Defenses

Start:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Right now a good bet is to follow the Cardinals with your defensive choice like they are the Grateful Dead. Last week Seattle did a number on them. This week, I like the Bucs.

Sit:
Minnesota Vikings
This shouldn’t come as a surprise after endorsing a couple of their players, but I just don’t like the Vikings this week. They aren’t getting to the quarterback, Tom Brady doesn’t usually make many mistakes, plus, the Pats are a threat to hang a lot of points on the board.

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